Why the movie 'Goodbye Debussy' chose 'heart-solving' over mystery-solving: On the timing of the live-action adaptation of 'The Decagon House Murders'

I am continuing to write about the live-action adaptation of mystery novels.

The previous installment is here.
The missing puzzle piece in the Kiyoshi Mitarai movie 'Sea of Seiryo': On the timing of the live-action adaptation of 'The Decagon House Murders' | Emi Suzuhara (note.com)

(Hereinafter, honorifics for authors, actors, etc., will be omitted.)

If it is to be adapted into a live-action film, I want it to be handled by someone who either loves the original work dearly or can maximize its strengths. This is a desperate request from a fan.
I think about this again because I heard the news of the live-action adaptation of the masterpiece mystery 'The Decagon House Murders' (Kodansha Bunko / 695 yen excluding tax) by Yukito Ayatsuji. So, I felt I had to write about this at this very moment, and this time I am writing about the movie adaptation of the 8th 'Kono Mystery ga Sugoi!' Grand Prize winner, 'Goodbye Debussy'.the movie 'Goodbye Debussy', winner of the 8th 'Kono Mystery ga Sugoi!' Grand Prize(Director: Go Rijū / 2013).

(1) The mystery of feeling like I watched a 'different work' in a good way, despite it being faithful to the original

—It was good. Bravo.

That is what I thought after finishing the movie.

The 'Arabesque' and 'Clair de Lune' played by the protagonist in the climax continue to play in my head even after watching it.This is certainly 'Goodbye Debussy'. It captures the strengths and essence of the original work head-on and adapts it into film with great careing.

—But why? I also felt a slightly strange sensation.


This is certainly 'Goodbye Debussy', but at the same time, I felt like I had watched a completely different story, and I felt I had experienceda different kind of emotion than when I read the original.

And after thinking a little, I felt I understood.

I couldn't go to the theater when it was released, so I watched this work a little late, but I understood in a sense the reason for the voices scattered among theearly reviews I saw in real-time, such as 'I figured out the trick immediately' and 'Is the director not interested in mysteries?'—At the same time, I understood that the reason I was deeply moved by this movie also lies there.

I think those reviewers and I were watching this movie in exactly the same, legitimate way.

—This movie was likely made based on the belief that 'the main trick might be noticed by most of the audience halfway through, butthere is something more important than that' (this is my personal opinion).

I want to write the reason for that now.

And whyis this trick easy to guess when adapted to film? I also want to write later about how the absolute theory of authentic mystery is related to that.

(2) Spoilers from here on: What are the structure and charm of 'Goodbye Debussy'?

I am going to write full spoilers from here on. I will write about the culprit and the truth. So,if you are not okay with that, please be careful (I think writing this will reduce the number of readers. Even so, I felt a sincere love for the original work from this movie, so I want to leave it written down).

First, the synopsis of the original 'Goodbye Debussy' (by Shichiri Nakayama / Takarajimasha Bunko / 562 yen excluding tax) is as follows. I will quote from the back cover of the paperback.

...Reading this, those who know the ending might grin and think, 'Wait? Come to think of it, this sentence...'

Once again, let me start with the conclusion (a major spoiler).

--In this novel, while it makes you think the protagonist is Haruka, the one who survived the fire is actually her cousin, Lucia Katagiri. Due to certain reasons, she is mistaken for Haruka, and her burned face is reconstructed into Haruka's face through plastic surgery. Readers go through the novel, which is narrated in the first person as 'I,' thinking it is Haruka, but the truth is revealed at the end, and those who hadn't noticed are stunned. At the same time, one's heart warms to the suffering of Lucia, who tried to be Haruka to meet the expectations of those around her, and the fated sentiment of a pianist who wants to play her own music... that is the mechanism. Incidentally, Haruka's mother is murdered in the middle of the story, and the mystery of who the culprit is also becomes clear.

(3) The narrative trick of the original work is, naturally, difficult to adapt to film in the first place

'Goodbye Debussy' would be classified as a narrative trick mystery novel. Famous works in the same genre include the currently talked-about Yukito Ayatsuji's 'The Decagon House Murders', what could be called the originator, Agatha Christie's 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd' (the one I have at hand is the Shincho Bunko edition / 427 yen excluding tax), and while there are many others, a famous one is Kotaro Isaka's 'A Duck and a Wild Goose's Coin Locker' (Sogen Suiri Bunko / 680 yen excluding tax), which I think also falls into this genre. Oh, Keigo Higashino's 'Closed Snow Mountain Lodge' (Kodansha Bunko / 630 yen excluding tax), which was made into a movie, is also one.

Adapting narrative trick stories to film is much harder than other mysteries. If you don't make it quite well, people will guess it halfway through, and that might be called a poor work. But if you make it too hard to figure out, you end up not knowing what you watched.
In that regard, the TV drama 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd' (Kuroido Goroshi) with a script by Koki Mitani, which I wrote about on noto before, can be enjoyed until the end because even if you notice that this person is suspicious halfway through, it has a precision of mystery-solving and drama that surpasses that.
'A Duck and a Wild Goose's Coin Locker' was also made into a movie (directed by Yoshihiro Nakamura / 2007), but it adopts a somewhat acrobatic method for the expression of a certain character, and that is well-crafted in its own way.

However, that cannot be used in 'Goodbye Debussy'. As a structure of the story, it is not a slow burn, but there is a possibility that it will be noticed in one go at the beginning of the movie.

The main trick of this work, although written very precisely in the original, has a very high possibility of being exposed easily the moment it is adapted to film. This is because, especially in orthodox mysteries, the existence of the following people is an absolute, absolute ironclad flag indicating 'swapping,' 'a different person,' or 'being mistaken for that person'. (1)

Identical twins. Or two people who look exactly like twins. Two people who have similar body types and are easily mistaken for each other when their faces are hidden, etc. (2)

A corpse whose face cannot be identified. Or a person whose face is hidden.

...How about that? Conversely, for example, in movies or novels, especially in orthodox ones, if 'twins' appear, if there is no swapping in the end, one might even feel a sense of doubt, like 'Then why did the twins appear?'—I think mystery lovers would agree with me.

(2) is the same. A corpse whose face is unidentifiable is usually 'a different person'. Because that's just how it is. If it were the person themselves, and it had nothing to do with the trick, there would be no reason for the face to be unidentifiable. Even if it's not a corpse, for example, Sukekiyo in 'The Inugami Family' was like that, wasn't he? This is already the case for all works throughout history. Ellery Queen, Agatha Christie, that mystery drama with a unique detective, the mystery drama with an unsuccessful magician and a university professor, Kosuke Kindaichi, Hajime Kindaichi... and there are various others, but that is the theory.

In the case of 'Goodbye Debussy,' it corresponds to a variation of (2).
For example, even for those who watch the movie without having read the original, if they have some immunity to mysteries, wouldn't they think 'Could it be...' when they see the scene where the bandages are removed from Haruka (Lucia), who suffered severe burns at the beginning? That is how impactful video is.

(However, in the case of a corpse whose face cannot be identified, there are times when the culprit... to hide the identity or delay identification.)

(4) In a story with the three pillars of 'music,' 'physical and mental regeneration,' and 'mystery-solving,' which part should be picked up?

If so, when adapting it to film, there is an option to prioritize other dramatic elements even if it means lowering the degree of mystery.

Those who read the original and were pleasantly deceived can be satisfied with that alone, but the greatness of this work is not just that. Broadly speaking, the following three pillars constitute the work with a wonderful balance:

(1) A music drama
where scenes of musical expression are extremely important (2) A protagonist's regeneration story
trying to overcome the tremendous difficulty of full-body severe burns (3) The truth of the incidents occurring around the protagonist and the trick set up throughout the entire story

If you read this work as a non-genre novel, it is wonderful even with just the elements of (1) and (2). If the element of (3) had been thin, it might have been difficult to win this 'This Mystery is Excellent!' award, but I think it would still have touched the hearts of readers as a youth novel or a music novel.

--I digressed, but these three pillars, when adapted to film, the element of (1) inevitably becomes stronger as an impact on the recipient. Because you can actually hear the music, and piano performance scenes occupy the majority.

Therefore, in that sense, it is necessary to first make the music touch the heart, and that alone makes the mystery degree several percent thinner compared to the novel.
Actually, the piano played by Yosuke Misaki, performed by real pianist Shinya Kiyozuka, is a masterpiece, and the earnest figure of Haruka (actually Lucia), who takes on lessons while working hard at rehabilitation, touches the heart, partly due to Ai Hashimoto's passionate performance.

However, even so, it would have been possible to craft the script while trying to keep it from being found out, trying to keep it from being found out in order to bet on the 'surprise of the final reveal.' But even if they focused on that, if a certain percentage of the audience figured it out along the way, the charm remaining as a work would diminish. That is quite a gamble. If they were only given the proposition of 'how to make the trick succeed,' that would be one thing, but when you sincerely think about wanting to make it a good film, what is the best thing to do?

Then, from the beginning, it is better to carefully depict the protagonist's heart. At least that is what I think. Because 'Goodbye Debussy' is, to borrow the protagonist's words, a story about a person who was 'erased while still alive' playing the piano so that they can be themselves.

(5) The overall persuasiveness increases when you depict 'the proof of one person's life'

Furthermore, there is also the issue of what percentage of people who quickly head to the movie theater are fans of the original work or mystery enthusiasts.

For example

(a) 25% are readers of the original work assuming
Next,
(b) 25% are people who haven't read the original but have immunity to mysteries assuming
Furthermore,
(c) 25% watched it somewhat, but have good intuition and suspect 'could it be'

—In that case, only 25% are left who will be 'surprised by the final reveal' (this is a very rough personal opinion).

Regarding this (c), I would like to quote an interesting view from a famous author.

It is a passage by Alice Arisugawa, who wrote the commentary for Agatha Christie's 'Murder on the Orient Express' (Hayakawa Bunko / 860 yen excluding tax).

I completely agree with this. For example, if my mother (in her 70s), who has absolutely no connection to mysteries, watched the movie 'Goodbye Debussy,' she would likely say nonchalantly at the scene where Haruka's bandages are removed, 'Um... if she had severe burns all over her body, you wouldn't know which one it was, right?' Of course, there is the reason that she was wearing Haruka's T-shirt, but even so, I feel like she would say something like, 'Shouldn't you check properly?' It is a very reasonable view.

—To return to the topic, in other words, even if the truth is discovered along the way, this movie is more likely to touch the hearts of many people if it is finished as a story that is persuasive as the proof of one person's life.

(6) The great significance of the confession scene 'I am...'

The story of 'Lucia Katagiri' who had to live as 'Haruka Kazuki'.

Assuming this was the main axis for filming the movie, there are at least two scenes in the second half where I could be convinced, 'That's why that part was changed.'

Conversely, those are also scenes that I, as a fan of the original work, would have preferred not to be changed if possible. Both of those two places are scenes in the second half where Yosuke Misaki, the pianist who has supported Haruka (Lucia), and Haruka (Lucia) talk about the truth.

One is,

(1) The scene where she confesses to Yosuke Misaki, 'I... I am Lucia.'

Another one is,

(2) The scene in the middle of the story where, when Haruka's mother Etsuko falls down the stone steps of the shrine, Haruka (Lucia) was actually there, and she confesses to Etsuko, 'I... I am Lucia,' which leads to a conflict.

These changes might not have been welcome to those who were thrilled by the mystery-solving in the original novel. When I watched it, I also thought, 'They changed this...' I suspect that those who evaluated this movie as 'I had high expectations but it was just okay' were disappointed by this aspect.

So, how was this scene written in the original novel?

(1) In the original, Yosuke Misaki bluntly tells her, 'You are the one who killed your mother.' (Incidentally, in the movie, Etsuko is temporarily in critical condition and does not die).
And from there, it is not Lucia's confession, but Yosuke Misaki who tells the 'truth of the incident.'
This part is exceptionally interesting as a mystery-solving sequence and becomes a scene filled with the charm of the 'Pianist Detective Yosuke Misaki' that continues into the later series. (2) In the original, Etsuko, who happened to be at the shrine for certain reasons, runs into Haruka (Lucia) and, through an unexpected turn of events, accuses her, 'You... you are Lucia, aren't you!'

...and so it goes, and in neither case is it a confession from Lucia. In the original, Lucia does not actively try to confess her true identity, but because it is seen through by Yosuke Misaki, she confesses everything, and as a result, her heart is saved.

In the original, it is an extremely effective 'resolution chapter' that a mystery fan cannot help but be excited by. However, if it were made into a movie as is, it might have become difficult to express Lucia's suffering.

And also, there is a change in the timeline between the original and the movie.

(7) Did those who read the original notice? The timeline changed in the movie

In the original, the mystery-solving begins after Haruka (Lucia) performs a brilliant performance at the competition while suffering physically.

However, in the movie, Haruka (Lucia) and Yosuke Misaki begin talking in the dressing room before the performance at the competition. The reason is that Haruka's fingers would not move, and she was pushed to the point mentally where she could not play as things were.

There, unable to bear the suffering, Haruka confesses to Yosuke Misaki. 'I... I am Lucia.'

And then, after confessing everything, Lucia truly becomes Lucia and performs 'Arabesque' and 'Clair de Lune'. That is the climax of the movie.

While playing 'Clair de Lune,' a promise she made for Haruka, who was like a sister to her, Lucia remembers her parents whom she had already lost, her kind grandfather, and her happy childhood, and gives the best performance of her life. Seeing that, Yosuke Misaki sheds tears.

Therefore, what took place in the dressing room was not mystery-solving, but heart-unraveling.

Yosuke Misaki had noticed Haruka's true identity quite some time ago for a certain reason, but he continued the lessons without saying anything. When Lucia asks why he didn't turn her in to the police, the movie's Yosuke Misaki replies, 'I am a pianist. (Omitted) I really wanted to hear your piano.' This is moving.

Incidentally, in the original, it is a more severe line: '(Omitted) I wanted to hear it. What kind of music a person who has abandoned peace and freedom themselves, and is trying to rise up from within fear and despair, would play' (p. 405).

The timeline of the original is perfect as a detective novel, but if you are making it into a movie, it is better visually to have her finish all her confessions and return to being Katagiri Lucia, at least in her heart, before playing the piano. If you were moved by the climax of the movie, you should be able to understand that. I cried.

Also, in both (1) and (2), the fact that Lucia confesses 'I... I am Lucia' herself feels like a natural progression when considering the harsh fate a 16-year-old girl had to bear. If I were in the same position... I could never carry it. I might end up confessing too. In that sense, when considering the consistency of the heart of the girl named Lucia, this change is also understandable.

At first, I thought the movie spent quite a lot of time on the scenes of Haruka and Lucia's childhood, but I realized this was necessary to hint at the harsh fates of the two girls, Haruka Kazuki and Lucia Katagiri.


As a mystery, because of this,the impact of 'the two looking just like twins'is visually represented (they have the same hairstyle, clothing, and build), and some people might have felt it was 'as good as hinting at a swap'. Even so, in light of the reasons above, it is a necessary scene. There are likely many choices to be made when creating a single work, but I believe the director chose the drama.

—Still, isn't one of the greatest charms of this movie Shinya Kiyozuka?

(8) The presence of real-life pianist Shinya Kiyozuka and his persuasiveness as a musician

I am amazed that they were able to cast such a 'truly authentic pianist'.
Thanks to this, even if concert scenes of Yosuke Misaki from the original work were cut, theaura of a brilliant musician just by playing in the practice roomcomes across loud and clear.

And the line he says gently to Lucia at the end, 'I am a pianist,' could not be spoken with more conviction by anyone else. No matter how good an actor is, this would be impossible.

Furthermore, the passion of 'I really want to hear that performance' and 'I really want to play the piano' overwhelmingly transcends incidents and common sense, which well depicts thenature of a human being captivated by music... or rather, by something.
In that sense, this is a movie of the heart and passion. Everyone probably has that side to them. Things they really want to see, write, meet, go to, touch, or create... You cannot give up on the things you love and the things that are important, and if you give them up, you cease to be yourself.

The essence of this story is condensed into the following words, which Yosuke Misaki repeats in the original work.

“What is important is not who that person is, but what they have achieved”
“Whether you are Haruka Kazuki or Lucia Katagirihas nothing to do with me”
“Neither the judges nor the audience are interested in your name. They resonated with your piano and the feelings you put into the piece (omitted)”

The great charm of 'Goodbye Debussy' is the brilliant fusion of its essence as a drama and its mechanics as a full-scale mystery. Yes, for all of us, what we have achieved (or want to achieve) is more important than who we are. It is a work that touches the heart once again (I think Professor Dumbledore said something like that in 'Harry Potter' too).

(9) Remembering Soji Shimada's 'The Foreign Knight' through Arabesque

Lastly, as an aside, when I hear Debussy's 'Arabesque,' the first thing that comes to mind is Soji Shimada's 'The Foreign Knight' (Kodansha Bunko / 695 yen excluding tax).

There is a scene in the work where a character named Ryoko says she likes 'Arabesque.' It is impressive and very poignant because it is a scene where a person who does not lead a particularly happy life talks sparklingly about the music she loves.

That is why when I read 'Goodbye Debussy,' my heart raced thinking, 'a mystery featuring Arabesque is wonderful,' and I was surprised to find an episode introduced in the commentary of the paperback edition stating, 'The author Shichiri Nakayama (omitted) in 2006, triggered by the experience of seeing Soji Shimada, whom he had long admired, in person (omitted) began writing novels.'

There might be a connection, or there might not. But personally, it was an event that made me excited, thinking, 'It's all connected.'

I always receive happiness from the novels and movies I love.

To be continued.


Next, I will write about the movie 'The Voice of Sin,' based on the original work by Takeshi Shiota.
The movie 'The Voice of Sin' is a masterpiece that accurately adapted the subtext of the original work - Thinking that such a life might have existed | Emi Suzuhara (note.com)